Observations

Image size 11” × 11” paper size 21” × 21”
Oil on paper, 2008

Image size 11” × 11” paper size 21” × 21”
Oil on paper, 2008

Image size 11” × 11” paper size 21” × 21”
Oil on paper, 2008

Image size 11” × 11” paper size 21” × 21”
Oil on paper, 2008

Image size 11” × 11”, paper size 21” × 21”
Oil on paper, 2008

Even though there are more eBay paintings, the last one I posted (Sink) seemed to sum up the consumer economy with a certain finality given our economic crisis, so I’ve moved on to other ideas. The ‘Medlar’ image is from a new grouping of drawings that I’ll try to post weekly for the next few months. Here’s a stab at a statement:

In this recent group of work, reconfigured passages from illuminated manuscripts have been stacked together with items for sale on eBay. I’ve produced separate bodies of work from both these sources previously, and here I’m exploring the similarities in both sets of source material at once. Not surprisingly, these similarities reflect what was culturally valuable in the past (in the illuminations) as well as what remains valuable to people today (in the eBay references), but the interesting thing to me is that the common threads don’t congeal into squishy, feel-good viewpoints such as ‘people are all the same no matter what’ or ‘human values continue throughout time.’ Instead, what seems most apparent in both sources is the relentlessly surreal quality of human behavior and thought, and this becomes the sentiment that guides the imagery.

Image size 11” × 11”, paper size 21” × 21”

October is Chicago Artist’s Month, and to get you in the spirit, there will be a reception this Saturday, October 4th from 1-4 PM, along the LaSalle/Clark block of the Riverwalk for a public art project called Chicago Looks, which showcases artwork in portraiture by 40 Chicago artists.

It’s a great privilege for my portrait of Terry, the crossing guard at my kids’ school, to be among the works on display. My painting is between Clark and Dearborn (but this Saturday the snacks are between LaSalle and Clark!), and you can see the city’s webpage about Terry here. You can also browse the portraits by the other artists in the project here, and clicking the links under ‘Chicago Looks.’

Do stop by if you have a chance, but if you can’t make it, that’s ok - the portraits will be up for a few years so you have time to see the show!

Here’s the portrait and the blurb:

30” H x 40” W

“Terry is the neighborhood kids’ real-life superhero: she stops traffic with a single gesture, she remains in the intersection until they have completely crossed to the other side of the street, and she brightens spirits with her good nature and brilliant orange coat. For the portrait, I wanted to highlight Terry’s protectiveness by extending her arm so it crosses the street before the kids do, hinting at the superhuman powers that the youngest children are convinced she possesses.”

Next weekend, September 19-21, ArtXposium will take place in West Chicago; it’s a multimedia art exhibition at 103 W Washington that brings together about 80 artists working in a wide range of media and will include special performances, artist talks and demonstrations, and interactive projects. I’ll have two paintings in the show.

The director, Anni Holm, is taking art exhibitions in a fantastic new direction with this show - very welcoming, interactive, and highly imaginative. She has set up an international artist-in-residence program that coincides with the show, and if you’re interested in a great color catalog of the exhibition, you can get one from the fabulous StepSister Press.

There’s loads of info about the show and events on the ArtXposium website if you’d like to find out more. Hope to see you there!

If you’re in Tennessee this evening, please stop by Davis Art Advisory tonight between 6-9 PM at 75 Arcade for an Opening Reception during Nashville’s Gallery Crawl and see some new pieces I have on exhibit in the ‘Massive Markets’ show, which features selections from my eBay series as well as paintings by Pamela Johnson. The exhibition continues through July 31, so you have some time to see it - say hi to Sera while you’re there!